Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics enhanced the toxicity of cadmium to rice seedlings: Evidence from rice growth, physiology, and element metabolism

Polystyrene microplastics combined with cadmium -- a toxic heavy metal -- caused more damage to rice seedlings than either pollutant alone, reducing growth and disrupting the balance of essential nutrients. At higher concentrations, the microplastics significantly increased how much cadmium the plants absorbed into their above-ground parts. This matters for human health because rice is a staple food for billions of people, and microplastic-contaminated farmland could lead to higher heavy metal levels in the food supply.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploration of Single and Co-Toxic Effects of Polypropylene Micro-Plastics and Cadmium on Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Researchers investigated the single and combined toxic effects of polypropylene microplastics and cadmium on rice plants, finding that co-exposure altered cadmium bioavailability and produced compounded negative effects on plant growth and development.

2022 Nanomaterials 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined Exposure to Polyethylene Microplastics and Copper Affects Growth and Antioxidant Responses in Rice Seedlings

Researchers exposed rice seedlings to polyethylene microplastics and copper both individually and in combination and found that microplastics significantly enhanced copper uptake, increasing accumulation by about 25% compared to copper alone. While microplastics alone had minimal effects on growth, the combined exposure intensified oxidative stress in roots and altered antioxidant defense responses. The study demonstrates that microplastics can increase the bioavailability and toxicity of heavy metals in agricultural crop systems.

2025 Environments 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecotoxicological Impacts of Microplastics and Cadmium Pollution on Wheat Seedlings

Researchers investigated the combined effects of polyethylene microplastics and cadmium on wheat seedlings and found that microplastics generally reduced the antioxidant enzyme response that cadmium alone would trigger. The study also found that microplastics altered cadmium bioaccumulation patterns, increasing cadmium uptake in roots at low concentrations but decreasing it at higher levels, suggesting complex interactions between these co-occurring pollutants.

2026 Nanomaterials
Article Tier 2

The Effects of Polystyrene Microplastics and Copper Ion Co-Contamination on the Growth of Rice Seedlings

Researchers studied how polystyrene microplastics and copper ions interact when both are present in the water supply of rice seedlings. They found that microplastics actually reduced copper toxicity by absorbing the metal ions, but both pollutants weakened the plant's antioxidant defenses. The study suggests that microplastics and heavy metals interact in complex ways in agricultural systems, with implications for crop health and food safety.

2024 Nanomaterials 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of Polystyrene Microplastics on Rice Seed Germination and Antioxidant Enzyme Activity

Researchers tested how different concentrations of polystyrene microplastics affect rice seed germination, root growth, and antioxidant enzyme activity. They found that at higher concentrations, the microplastics inhibited root growth and triggered oxidative stress responses in the seedlings. The study indicates that microplastic contamination in agricultural soils could interfere with early crop development, potentially affecting food production.

2021 Toxics 157 citations
Article Tier 2

Single and Combined Effects of Microplastics and Cadmium on Oxidative Responses, Antioxidant System and Cadmium Phytoavailability of Chinese Cabbage (Brassica campestris L.)

Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris) co-exposed to microplastics and cadmium showed increased oxidative stress compared to cadmium alone, and microplastics altered cadmium phytoavailability in soil, suggesting co-contamination scenarios pose compounded risks to vegetable crop safety.

2025 Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on growth and metabolism of rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Researchers found that polystyrene and polyvinyl chloride microplastics inhibited rice growth and disrupted ionic homeostasis and antioxidant metabolism in a dose-dependent manner, with PVC microplastics causing more severe effects than polystyrene.

2022 Chemosphere 153 citations
Article Tier 2

Phenotypic and transcriptomic shifts in roots and leaves of rice under the joint stress from microplastic and arsenic

This study examined how rice plants respond when exposed to both microplastics and heavy metal cadmium at the same time. Researchers found that the combination caused distinct changes in root and leaf gene expression and growth patterns compared to either pollutant alone. The findings suggest that microplastics may alter how plants take up and respond to heavy metals, potentially affecting crop safety.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined Inhibitory Effect of Canada Goldenrod Invasion and Soil Microplastics on Rice Growth

Researchers found that the combination of invasive Canada goldenrod plants and soil microplastics reduced rice biomass and disrupted antioxidant enzyme activity more severely than either stressor alone, suggesting that microplastic pollution can amplify the agricultural harm caused by invasive plant species.

2022 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Analyzing the impacts of cadmium alone and in co-existence with polypropylene microplastics on wheat growth

Researchers tested how cadmium and polypropylene microplastics individually and together affect wheat seedling growth, and found that their combined presence intensified negative effects on germination and early development. Cadmium alone inhibited root and shoot growth, and microplastics amplified this damage while also altering antioxidant enzyme activity in the plants. The study suggests that the co-occurrence of heavy metals and microplastics in agricultural soil may create compounding stress on crop health.

2023 Frontiers in Plant Science 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics and cadmium on the soil-wheat system as single and combined contaminants

Researchers found that polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics combined with cadmium reduced wheat chlorophyll concentrations and affected soil-plant systems differently depending on pollution levels, revealing complex interaction effects between co-contaminants.

2023 Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 37 citations
Article Tier 2

The effect of soil microplastics on Oryza sativa L. root growth traits under alien plant invasion

Researchers studied how microplastics in soil interact with an invasive weed species to affect rice root growth. Both stressors individually harmed rice roots, but their combination produced complex interactive effects that altered root architecture and nutrient uptake. This suggests that microplastic pollution in farmland may compound the damage caused by invasive plants, creating compounding threats to crop productivity.

2023 Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Dynamic production of hydroxy radicals affects the available Cadmium in paddy soils under microplastic contamination

Researchers showed that polyethylene microplastics amplify hydroxyl radical production in flooded paddy soils through photochemical activation of plastic-derived dissolved organic carbon and iron cycling, raising plant-available cadmium concentrations by up to 4.5-fold and highlighting a previously overlooked mechanism by which microplastics worsen heavy metal contamination in rice fields.

2025 Journal of Environmental Sciences
Article Tier 2

Assessing the interactive effects of microplastics and acid rain on cadmium toxicity in rice seedlings: Insights from physiological and transcriptomic analyses

Researchers studied how the combination of microplastics, acid rain, and cadmium affects rice seedling growth. They found that at high cadmium concentrations, the presence of microplastics and acid rain actually reduced cadmium's toxic effects by lowering how much of the metal accumulated in the plants. The study provides nuanced evidence that interactions between multiple environmental pollutants can sometimes produce unexpected outcomes, which matters for understanding food safety in contaminated agricultural areas.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics meet invasive plants: Unraveling the ecological hazards to agroecosystems

This study examined how microplastic contamination in soil combines with invasive plant species to affect rice crops. The combination of both stressors caused greater changes in rice metabolism and antioxidant responses than either stressor alone. These findings highlight how microplastic pollution in agricultural soil can interact with other environmental challenges to threaten food safety and crop health.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 70 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of soil microplastic contamination and cadmium toxicity on the growth, physiology, and root growth traits of Triticum aestivum L.

Researchers grew wheat plants in soil contaminated with polyethylene microplastics, the toxic heavy metal cadmium, or both, finding that combined exposure caused the worst damage — shrinking root area, reducing gas exchange in leaves, and lowering key growth indicators. These findings raise concerns about crop yields in farmland where plastic pollution and heavy metal contamination overlap, which is increasingly common.

2023 South African Journal of Botany 65 citations
Article Tier 2

Metabolomics revealing the response of rice (Oryza sativa L.) exposed to polystyrene microplastics

Researchers used metabolomics to investigate how polystyrene microplastics affect rice plants through both laboratory and field experiments. The study found that microplastic exposure reduced shoot biomass in a dose-dependent manner and altered antioxidant enzyme activity, suggesting that microplastics in agricultural soil can stress crops through measurable metabolic changes.

2020 Environmental Pollution 265 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic–Cadmium Interaction in Paddy Soils: An Overlooked Risk Exacerbating Cadmium Contamination in Rice and Microbial Dysbiosis

Scientists found that tiny plastic particles in rice paddies make it easier for the toxic metal cadmium to get into rice plants, leading to more contamination in the rice we eat. When microplastics and cadmium are both present in flooded rice fields, rice plants grow less and absorb significantly more of the harmful metal compared to when only cadmium is present. This matters because cadmium can cause serious health problems like kidney damage and cancer, so this research suggests that plastic pollution may be making our rice less safe to eat.

2026 Plants
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastics distinctly impact cadmium uptake and toxicity in Arabidopsis thaliana

In a study using the model plant Arabidopsis, polystyrene nanoplastics increased the uptake and accumulation of the toxic heavy metal cadmium in plant roots. The combined stress of nanoplastics and cadmium caused worse oxidative damage and growth problems than either pollutant alone. This is concerning because it means microplastics in agricultural soil could help toxic metals get into crops more easily, potentially increasing human exposure through food.

2024 Environmental Pollution 18 citations